Hanks: The Will Barker case and how it was handled by The Free Press

By Bryan Hanks / Editor

Published: Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 05:52 PM.

There are fun weeks to be in the journalism business … and there are weeks like the one that just ended.

Next month marks my 11th anniversary in Kinston, a place I am proud to call my home. But in my nearly 11 years here, I’m not sure we’ve ever had a week of negative news like the one that just ended — which included Kinston Charter Academy closing and the continuing trial of Grant Hayes in the alleged murder of Laura Ackerson.

The biggest story of the week involved the sentencing of former Kinston City Councilman Will Barker in Wilmington on Thursday. Less than a year ago, Barker was one of Kinston’s up-and-coming stars, a brilliant CPA who leaders appreciated having on the City Council for his outstanding business acumen. He was also active in the community, coaching youth baseball and representing our city on numerous boards.

His façade came crashing down late last year, when he accidentally dropped a USB drive in Fremont that was innocently discovered by that town’s police chief. On that drive were images of young boys that are too disturbing to mention. A search of Barker’s laptop computer at his home revealed thousands more images and hundreds of videos — mostly young boys in repugnant sexual situations with adult men.

After a plea deal between prosecutors and Barker’s lawyers, a judge handed down a six-and-a-half year federal prison sentence and a $10,000 fine, among other penalties.

At Thursday’s sentencing, a group of Kinstonians — including this town’s mayor, this county’s economic development director, along with several ministers and business leaders — were on hand to show their support for Barker and his family. The judge in the case was visibly moved by the show of support and it seemed to make a difference in the verdict he handed down, since Barker could’ve been sent to prison for many more years and could’ve been saddled with a quarter-of-a-million dollar fine.

I have been questioned by both sides of this situation on the way we covered it and reported it in The Free Press. Most Barker supporters have been irate and we’ve even been accused of “ruining” his reputation. Seriously.

There are fun weeks to be in the journalism business … and there are weeks like the one that just ended.

Next month marks my 11th anniversary in Kinston, a place I am proud to call my home. But in my nearly 11 years here, I’m not sure we’ve ever had a week of negative news like the one that just ended — which included Kinston Charter Academy closing and the continuing trial of Grant Hayes in the alleged murder of Laura Ackerson.

The biggest story of the week involved the sentencing of former Kinston City Councilman Will Barker in Wilmington on Thursday. Less than a year ago, Barker was one of Kinston’s up-and-coming stars, a brilliant CPA who leaders appreciated having on the City Council for his outstanding business acumen. He was also active in the community, coaching youth baseball and representing our city on numerous boards.

His façade came crashing down late last year, when he accidentally dropped a USB drive in Fremont that was innocently discovered by that town’s police chief. On that drive were images of young boys that are too disturbing to mention. A search of Barker’s laptop computer at his home revealed thousands more images and hundreds of videos — mostly young boys in repugnant sexual situations with adult men.

After a plea deal between prosecutors and Barker’s lawyers, a judge handed down a six-and-a-half year federal prison sentence and a $10,000 fine, among other penalties.

At Thursday’s sentencing, a group of Kinstonians — including this town’s mayor, this county’s economic development director, along with several ministers and business leaders — were on hand to show their support for Barker and his family. The judge in the case was visibly moved by the show of support and it seemed to make a difference in the verdict he handed down, since Barker could’ve been sent to prison for many more years and could’ve been saddled with a quarter-of-a-million dollar fine.

I have been questioned by both sides of this situation on the way we covered it and reported it in The Free Press. Most Barker supporters have been irate and we’ve even been accused of “ruining” his reputation. Seriously.

One minister told me he’s going to encourage members of his congregation today to drop their subscriptions to the paper since we are trying to destroy this “godly” man who lost his way and is trying to fix his life. Because, you know, one sin is no worse than any other sin.

Evidently to some, driving 70 mph in a 55 mph zone or telling a “little white lie” to someone is just as bad a sin as looking at pictures of a naked little boy.

On the other side, we’ve taken criticism for being too “soft” on this and for trying to portray Barker as a victim in the case. Again, seriously.

While I feel it is our responsibility to report as much as possible on any case — especially one dealing with a former political leader of this town — I also feel there is no need to describe in detail every single disgusting image and video Barker viewed.

This affects me personally and professionally, too. Like many in town, I thought I knew Barker well; he was an advocate of open government and was a valuable source and resource for myself and our reporters over the past seven or eight years.

In fact, less than four hours before SBI agents searched his home and discovered the aforementioned laptop, Barker texted me with a news tip about a prominent Kinstonian’s legal and financial woes. We exchanged texts that night and it was the final time we communicated until I saw him in an orange jumpsuit on Thursday in Wilmington.

Because of his addiction, sins and crimes, Barker and his lawyers promised the judge Thursday that upon his release (estimated to be sometime in 2020), he will return to Kinston to start a Sex Addicts Anonymous chapter. If I’m still in this position then, there will be a story in this newspaper about his release and his rehabilitation.

I understand fully the responsibility The Free Press has in reporting facts in any case, even those that aren’t comfortable to report. I have been reminded constantly by members of his family and his friends about his innocent wife and children who are negatively affected by this terrible story.

The lessons I’ve been taught through my 20-plus years in journalism is to accurately report a story without bias or favor. I am confident we have done this in the case of Will Barker.

Bryan C. Hanks is the editor of The Free Press; his column appears in this space every Sunday. You can reach him at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCHanks.